State Rep. Bierman meets with Mental Health Clinicians to Discuss Mental Health Crisis

MINNEAPOLIS, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Minnesota House Rep. Robert Bierman (DFL-Apple Valley) recently met with mental health and substance use treatment clinicians at Nystrom & Associates Apple Valley Clinic to discuss the urgent need to increase funding for mental health and addiction treatment.

One in five Minnesota adults and one in six children in Minnesota experience a mental health condition.

"We all know that medical assistance is critical for health care coverage in Minnesota," said Rep. Robert Bierman when introducing a bill to address the chronic underfunding of the program. "Reimbursement rates to providers who serve these Minnesotans have fallen woefully behind. Our current rates are unsustainable and have created a crisis in access to care." 

Mental health providers in the community are typically paid on a transparent, direct flow-through model, meaning their take-home pay is directly impacted by the State's rate reductions that started in January and will total nearly 24% by 2027.

"Mental health clinicians provide life-changing care. State reimbursement needs to reflect that," said Anh Kremer, chief strategy & development officer and general counsel for Nystrom.

"We're so thankful for Representative Bierman's leadership. It demonstrates his ongoing commitment to ensuring Minnesotans have access to the life-saving behavioral health services they need," added Mark Peterson, CEO, Nystrom & Associates.

Local leaders from Nystrom gave Rep. Bierman a tour of the Apple Valley clinic, which has 35 clinical providers who serve nearly 4,300 patients annually. The clinic offers a variety of mental health services, including outpatient therapy, psychiatry, community-based interventions, and psychological testing.

"It's so important to talk with the people who work in the behavioral health field and learn how these reimbursement cuts affect them and the people they are trying to help," said Rep. Bierman. "It's crucial that we fund behavioral healthcare now more than ever."

The bill Rep. Bierman is sponsoring, HF1005, would seek to combat the recent mental health cuts by requiring the Department of Human Services to implement the recommended higher rates found in the Minnesota Health Care Programs Outpatient Services Rates Study.

About Nystrom & Associates

Nystrom & Associates is a group of professional care providers from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, clinical social work, marriage and family therapy, professional counseling, alcohol and drug counseling, and nursing. With 1,800 employees and more than 60 locations in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota and Missouri, Nystrom provides care to individuals and families with personal, emotional, marital, or psychological problems. For more information on services available and to schedule an appointment, visit: www.nystromcounseling.com.

SOURCE Nystrom & Associates